Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Knowledge and Uptake among Adolescent Boys and Girls in an Appalachian Ohio County

Abstract

Abstract Background: Population-based studies of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine uptake among both adolescent boys and girls are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine middle and high school student knowledge and behaviors surrounding the HPV vaccine in a rural Appalachian Ohio county. Methods: Five questions regarding the HPV vaccine were added to 2012 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) administered in an Ohio Appalachian county. The participants were asked whether or not they had heard of the HPV vaccine; been given the vaccine and, if yes, the number of shots received; and whether their health care provider and/or their parents had discussed the vaccine with them. The voluntary and anonymous survey was completed by a total of 1,300 adolescent boys and girls. Results: Of the 596 and 704 high school students who completed the survey, 51.9% were male and 48.1% were female, and 95% were white. Regarding whether they had ever heard of the HPV vaccine, 49.1%, 29.6%, 21.2% respectively reported ‘yes’, ‘no’, and ‘don't know/not sure’. Girls were more likely to report having heard of the HPV vaccine than boys (56.7% vs. 42.19%; p < 0.001). In all, 19.5% and 24.5% of the participants indicated having their parents and a health care provider respectively having discussed the HPV vaccine with them. Girls were two times as likely to report having a parent discuss the HPV vaccine with them than boys (P < 0.01). They were also almost three times as likely than boys to report a health care provider having discussed the vaccine with them (p < 0.01). Overall, 11.4% boys and 21.3% girls reported having received at least one dose of the vaccine (p < 0.001). The HPV uptake rates among middle and high school boys and girls respectively were 9.2%, 13.2%, 14.4%, and 27.4%. Conclusion: The HPV vaccine knowledge, as well as parental and health care provider communication regarding the HPV vaccine, particularly with the boys, remains low among these rural Appalachian adolescents. The role of these two factors on the HPV vaccine uptake among this adolescent population needs to be further explored.